Arsene Wenger says new boy Gervinho, who has yet to officially sign, is a signing to moisten the gussets of Arsenal fans.
Speaking at a press conference in China as Arsenal continue their pre-season tour, the manager was asked if the Ivory Coast star was similar in some ways to Thierry Henry. Wenger said, “Exactly. He has qualities that are interesting because he has good movement off the ball, he is very quick and he can play up front, left and right.
“He can score goals, he can provide, so he can contribute greatly to the offensive efficiency of the team. He is a signing to excite the Arsenal supporters.”
He also likened to him to a more current squad member, Theo Walcott, saying, “He has qualities like Theo Walcott, they have good movement. I think Theo can play on the left, right and up front. He has a similar type of pace and finishing.”
The transfer is currently going through a ‘regulatory process’ but is expected to be wrapped up in the next few days. When complete, Gervinho will become Wenger’s second signing of the summer after Charlton’s vastly experienced youngster Carl Jenkinson.
What didn’t excite me were his comments about our lack of need for new signings in defence.
I’ve lost all faith in the manager I’m afraid and fully expect a re-run (or worse) of last season, and the season before that etc, etc…
Feels like it might be time for a change, never thought I would say that about Arsene though. 🙁
Wiat until the season starts before you start asking for best Arsenal manager ever to depart.Have some faith, you could be following the spuds, we are The Arsenal and we are the best.Remember that my friend and get behind the team and the manager.
Modern era best manager. Herbert Chapman is on a par though.
Charlton’s vastly experienced youngster? is this a joke
It is, if you must know.
Im glad someone pointed that out……..
Gervinho actually being ‘a signing’ might be a good start..
Den15
Sounds like you’ve been reading too much online gooner to me. Was you disapointed with Wenger when he didn’t sign Garth Barry last year?
“I believe we are perfectly good enough” – direct quote. AW.
I agree that we need (two) signings. Personally i would like to see Gary Cahill and Sebastian Swinestigger (typo) and maybe Leigton Baines but at the end iof the day i have full confidence in Wenger. After all, im sure he knows a lot more about football than anyone else who visits this site, including myself, and i’ve been going to The Arsenal since 1976. I just simply do not agree with that throwing vast sums of money around will solve Arsenal’s problems RE: Liverpool. And if your honest, you’ll agree that we are good enough – but WILL they… Read more »
Reading too much? I’m not an idiot. Ignoring a lot of what is written, I can only judge AW by his actions and the lack of change at the club following 6 years of no return is a shame. We have a difficult opening month, what is the sense in delaying on new Signings? Surely it would be better to so business early and get any new blood settled Before the start of the season? I can see us going up to deadline day again, trying a Few things – none of which will come off and be stuck with… Read more »
We’ve had flaws for a 125 years. a short history of arsenal reads something like this: win some things then dont win some things, win some things and then dont win some things, win some things and then dont win some things, win some things…etc etc add nauseum…..
[…] currently the 7th richest sports ‘franchise’ in the world – according to Forbes, Gervinho will be ‘exciting‘ and the Mail links us to Newcastle’s Jose Enrique who would replace Gael Clichy. I […]
So who do you want him to buy then Den? Gary Cahill?
After reading Wenger’s latest interview re: the state of our defence I’m with Den15 I’m afraid. I’ve hoped for a while now that it’s the board not allowing him to spend but now I genuinely think that he believes his own bullshit. Yet again we’ll be found woefully lacking in defence and likely other areas when injuries strike and when we bottle it again.
And so the old lie, ‘In Arsene we trust’ sorry but that’s one more fan whose lost faith in you Mr Wenger
Sign the big per mertezacker for cheap, he’s in the last year of his contract. Or send bendtner to stuttgart and get tasci in return, they need a striker for the outgoing pogrenybak (are any players I want to suggest, easy names to spell)!!
Agree if we don’t sign a defender and with fixtures we have to start with, I can see people calling for Wengers head six games in
Even with 18 points form 6 games?
Of course, what difference does that make? Anyone who has ever won the quadruble in Football Manager can see what Arsene Wenger is doing wrong.
what do you want him to do, come out publicly and throw his current players under the bus. If you watch arsenal you should know that is not his style, he protects his players no matter what.
LEEEEEEEERRRROYYYYYY!
@Prof Plum – I too would like to see 3 out and 2 in. No prizes for guessing who I’d like gone though. @Dave – no name to speak of, what I would expect though is the backroom team to know our weaknesses and ensure that the signings made reflect our need to address them. So if we sign a defender a bit more empahsis on his ability to defend is a must, rather than his overall technical skills. Again a midfielder who has the nous to protect the back 4 rather than bomb forward when we already have 5… Read more »
Yeah, get Mertezacker, bring in Samba, mail Bendtner to Stuttgart to recieve Tasci in DHL gold package or balloon a wand of pounds to Bolton and Cahil will become Emirate ball boy. Psssst! Has any of you tried playing Arsenal in Football Manager without using some sort of cheat for unlimited funds? Do you know of clubs unrealistic demands of beyond a players asking price? What about pays/% played or sale? Wot of the outrageous demands of players on pay/week/goal/clean sheet, match bonus% pay, demand for regular 1st team play, favoured positions and formation of play? Shut up people! Lets… Read more »
Fuck me, not Samba.
Hey! don’t i smell some something racist here? Samba is Premiership Tested, wasn’t he?
Racist ? I just dont think he’s the answer to Arsenal’s problems and i think he’s very tall, very over-rated and not a very good player.
Mertesacker, Enrique and Vidal would be nice.
When we fans found out that the players we love to see at Arsenal are actually unrealistic, we go ” we have one of the best scouting team in the world, sure they can find some cheap good quality somewhere. But when Wenger brought in new boy Jenkinson or say Gibbs can replace Clichy we cried, WTF! How many of you would have asked for Arsene’s head on a stake had he let Nasri go without a replacement 1st? Raise your hands please… not your umbrella! Ok, how many wanted to poke finger to his for saying he won’t sell… Read more »
Adboy and that is the problem most fans I know just want honesty! Even people who know nothing about football know we need a CB, the fact he doesn’t is scary. The man earns millions a year and can’t see that! I am really worried for the club we all love
Plum tell me why no to Samba?
Because he’s shit.
Adboy – what I would expect is an end to his generic rhetoric about potential and mental strength. Silence would be preferred than to add insult to injury by claiming our defence is good enough to win the league.
Wenger plz, do youself a favour and sign an English defender and end all this media snide. Oh? Make it an all English 1st eleven at least.
Never worth the price, though.
Gervinho who? There is a Bendtner/Chamakh written all-over this new Arsenal signing! But over-all, this squad Arsene Wenger is masquerading with now cannot win even a plastic mug. Curiously, he has been busy, “signing” players to strengthen until serious clubs have nabbed them – refer to Ricardo Alvarez and Stewart Downing. Right now, Arsene Wenger is “signing” Gary Cahill, Chris Samba, Neven Subbotic, Shay Given etc, until these footballers end-up at Tottenham, Chelsea etc. Meanwhile, the next EPL season is looming with cracking opening games – Man Utd, Liverpool and Spurs in the mix. I can visualise a grumpy “Professor… Read more »
Go easy on Chamakh friend. The boy needs more confidence which will come… when it does he will be a much bigger threat. He’s the opposite to Bendtner who has an overinflated ego. Gervinho is a different kind of player. Very direct, pacey, tricky forward who will flourish at Arsenal. Get excited…. get VERY excited…
Seriously?? You’re comparing Gervinho to Bendtner and Chamakh?!
You really don’t have a clue, do you.
The guy is absolute quality and plays nothing like our 2nd and 3rd choice strikers.
p.s. Stewart Downing is shiiite!
No respect.
No respect is a response to Moses Watasa’s comments, he clearly hasn’t supported Arsenal for long enough to realise that being a supporter is not and should not be linked to winning trophies all the time or else there would be no fans for 85 plus teams in the football league, let alone non-league. You have to learn to take the rough with the smooth. No-one is guaranteed success and if other clubs want to pay obscene amounts in wages to people like the granny shagger then let them.I don’t think anyone should be paid 100k a week let alone… Read more »
Graham, the only reason why people support the 85 plus teams in the football league or non-league is because these clubs are (or were) 1) once a top flight club and have fallen down the divisions over the years (read: Leeds, Charlton, Southampton etc.) 2) their hometown club or the club nearest their home or in their district (read: Huddersfield Town, Leyton Orient, Chesterfield etc.), 3) these people are masochists who love seeing their team lose again and again and take a perverse pleasure somehow from the fall from Premier League to League Two (Bradford City). Wenger has created his… Read more »
@ Shanmu
you talk total bollocks
I’m not even remotely worried by Wenger not wanting to buy defenders, we need a left back obviously but centrally I’m happy. We collapsed at the end of the season because we collapsed as a team and didn’t score more goals than the opposition. Arsenes right not to be too quick to buy shite like Samba and Cahill.
Looking forward to see Gervinhos forehead hopefully destroy Lennie somehow this season too.
Well said Steve,let’s not go overboard!! I do think an experienced cb & lb is needed but are Cahill and samba any better than what we’ve already got? nahh!.Anon answer to gervinho
Agreed.
Especially when you consider that a Blackburn defence with Samba at its heart shipped 59 goals in the premier league last season and a Bolton defence with Cahill shipped 56 goals.
Dam sent to early!!…Gervinho who?(Moses)check him on YouTube,blatantly better than bendtner/chamakh!!
Anyone who thinks we don’t need to sign a centre back is quite simply, a moron.
Totally agree. Plus a left back. Then on paper we look tasty.
It’s true that Koscielny & Squillaci are very bad defenders. I’ve been watching the end of season DVD which gives good insight becasue you get to see all the goals we shipped in back-to-back. The forementioned have really bad positional sense and don’t attack the ball. Clichy was guilty many times too at not following his man. I think a new centre back is most definately needed. I’m not sure who is the answer though. Cahill looks pretty good to me but I confess I haven’t seen Bolton play much. Samba is too slow for Arsenal. We need someone strong… Read more »
We conceded the least amount of goals from open play last season. Koscielny is not a bad defender,
Its a good signing.. I am looking forward to see him play for us.
But
Imagine he gets injured and out for a couple of months or even rest of the season. Then what??
Back to the same old squad of 2010 nimus Clichy and maybe Nasri, Cesc, etc etc
My point being we need a couple more signings especially in defence.
Wenger’s transfer policy is being dictated by who leaves. He can’t seem to get “value” for Almunia, Bendtner and Denilson. He does not want to sell Eboue, Nasri, Arshavin and Vela as reported earlier. For me Wenger misses two big points in the transfer market. First he does not take into account the amount of wages we’ll be saving by moving these three players. All three of them make 40K per week or more. If we can get a team to give us even a reduced transfer fee and take these wages off of our hands than great. Secondly, Wenger… Read more »
What do you all expect Wenger to do? Come out and tell the world he wants to buy a defender or two? Yeah, I’m sure that won’t add an extra £5m to anyone we contact…..
Like Blogger says, judge him after the transfer window on action, not his words.
Gervinho is nothing to excite